“When I was a kid and I first heard Frank Marino, I was stunned. His technique and tone was
smooth yet aggressive. He is a very powerful performer and was an inspiration to me at a
critical time in my musical evolution.” -Steve Vai
FRANK MARINO needs no introduction. He is one of the world’s best guitar players and a
Canadian icon. He’s sold millions of records and played to big crowds during his long and
fruitful career. To say that Marino excels in a live environment is an understatement!
RealLIVE! is the new FRANK MARINO & MAHOGANY RUSH live double record recorded
at Montreal’s Club Soda on the EYE OF THE STORM tour. The power of Marino live is the
stuff of legend and he certainly lives up to his reputation on this new album. Marino’s live
records are historically amazing sellers and RealLIVE! is, in the words of the artist himself,
“my favorite record!” Marino is one of the first Montreal artists to go International. All hail
the return of the Master!
He is mentioned in the same breath as Johnny Winter, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and
other extraordinary guitarists. He is said to be one of the greatest guitarists ever. His name is
Frank Marino; Born in Montreal on November 20th 1954.
An excellent self-taught drummer prior to his 10th birthday…
Picked up the guitar for the first time at the age of 13 while in hospital as a means of therapy
(circa 1968). Upon his discharge from hospital Frank began “jamming” with various
musicians in and around Montreal using a name that Frank had chosen; Mahogany Rush,
which was more an allusion to an experience than a musical group.
By 1971, Frank’s now famed Mahogany Rush was making a name for itself outside of the
Montreal area, in fact the band began to have a following throughout the United States and
beyond. The group became the first Canadian “hard rock trio”, blazing the path for groups
like Rush and Triumph that followed. The group became one of the first Canadian bands to
break into the U.S. market, where they continue to have a huge following. They were also
one of the first to achieve International stardom, playing to huge crowds in Japan, Germany,
England, Sweden and across the globe.
In late 1971, at the age of 16, just prior to his 17th birthday, Marino began recording his 1st
album, “MAXOOM”, on KoTai Records (a local label headed by Robert Nickford). Marino
began showing signs of being a prolific songwriter and producer, constantly coming up with
new ideas and ways to present them musically. Albums number 2 and 3 were done for the
20th Century Fox Label. Marino’s brainchild quickly grew a devoted fan following and would
regularly play to sold out crowds.
By the time he signed with Columbia Records (and released his 4th album, his 1st for
Columbia) the band had already grown too popular for smaller venues and was playing to
sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout North America.
Playing to 20,000 plus fans was the norm. Interestingly, the band had a larger fan base
outside of Canada than within. Frank Marino was regularly flooring fans throughout the
USA with his guitar prowess.
The record deal with Columbia saw a total of 7 albums released (albums # 4 through 10 for
the band). By the 2nd Columbia album, “World Anthem” the group had, at the request of the
label and Manager (Davis Krebs) altered its name to Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush due to
Frank’s growing reputation as one of rock’s greatest guitarists.
1978 would see the band playing for more than an hour to over 330,000 fans at California Jam
2. Like The Grateful Dead and Canadian bands like The Wackers, Frank Marino & Mahogany
Rush proved to be even more successful as a live act than they were on any of their numerous
LPs.
After Columbia Records, Marino went on to release album numbers 11, 12 and 13 between
1988 and 1996. The lineup had changed a few times over the years, but the band never
seemed to miss a beat.
Frank Marino also released two albums without using the Mahogany Rush moniker in 1986
and 1990 respectively.
Frank became a world renowned and respected guitarist with regular television appearances
on shows like Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, The Midnight Special, and The Pop (Japan TV).
2001 finally sees the release of “EYE OF THE STORM”, Marino’s 14th album.
Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush began their triumphant return to the stage when they
played to a sold out crowd at The Spectrum in Montreal Canada on Friday June 2nd, 2000. He
then was requested to fly off to Sweden and perform at one of the world’s largest rock
festivals. Over a two-day period he shared the stage with the likes of DIO, LYNYRD
SKYNYRD, ALICE COOPER, and MOLLY HATCHET providing all present with proof that
the Master of the Guitar was most definitely back! These were the first dates that would lead
to the tour that would generate RealLIVE!, which as been labeled by the rock world as one if
the best live albums of all times!